Friday, February 3, 2017

6 Things You Didn't Know About Hundertwasser - Off the Wall Friday

For me there is always an emotion connected to art - it angers me, surprises me, saddens me. It evokes feelings of digust or pure joy. And Joy is exactly what I feel when I look at the work of
Austrian born, Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000). His work always entertains me, enchants me, enlivens me. It always draws me in to look more closely. So, I wanted to share my fascination with you!!

6 Things You Didn't Know about Friedensreich Hundertwasser

1. He was born Friedrich Stowasser, but changed it to Hundertwasser when he was 21. His name translates directly into English as "Peace-Realm Hundred-Water". The other names he chose for himself, Regentag and Dunkelbunt, translate to "Rainy day" and "Darkly multi-coloured".

2. Hundertwasser is one of the richest artists in history branding his work throughout Europe and then investing his earnings in real estate and businesses. Through his stock company Hundertwasser managed his intellectual property rights

4. Rejecting the the straight line and calling them "godless and immoral" and "something cowardly drawn with a rule, without thought or feeling" he used bright colors and organic form to achieve a
reconciliation between humans and nature.

5. For Hundertwasser, human misery was a result of the rational, sterile, monotonous architecture we lived in and he designed his buildings with enlivened colors that took on organic non traditional forms. With strong ecological beliefs, he incorporated nature in many of his buildings.

6. He died aboard a ship, the S.S. Queen Elizabeth II, in late 2000. He was
71 years old when he passed away, and was buried in New Zealand where
he got his second citizenship in years earlier.

Green Tower, 1978

I've always wanted to do a series of pieces in the style of Hundertwasser because I would love to evoke as much joy with my work as he does with his.

You probably know that Hundertwasser is one of my most important influences and that my entire "In Box" series was created in response to his inspirations. He gets credited in almost every art statement I've ever written with regards to this body of work ... including my upcoming solo show at the Grovewood Gallery. Anyway, I loved reading the points you emphasized. There's so much about Hundertwasser that I admire. Susan